During the typical gear shifting operation in a manual transmission, the transmission is at least partially disconnected from the engine in the vehicle providing torque to the transmission. That is, torque interruptions occur during the gear shift. Unfortunately, these interruptions can result in undesirable lurching or other sensations in the vehicle. Engine power can be supplied to the transmission through mechanical clutches, for example, clutch packs, to provide fill-in torque to at least minimize the torque interruptions. Unfortunately, the operation of the clutches generates significant amounts of heat that may require extensive modification of cooling systems for the drive train in the vehicle.
Thus, there is a long-felt need for a more thermally efficient means of providing fill-in torque to a manual transmission during a gear shift in the transmission.